14 Clever Uses for Ice Cubes You’ll Wish You Knew Sooner

If you’re only using ice cubes to keep your drinks chilled, you’re only tapping a fraction of their potential. Here are several brilliant new ways to put ice cubes to work all around the house.

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Water hanging plants and Christmas trees

If you’re constantly reaching for the step stool to water hard-to-reach hanging plants, ice cubes can help. Just toss several cubes into the pots. The ice melts and waters the plants and does it without causing a sudden downpour from the drain hole. This is also a good way to water your Christmas tree, whose base may be hard to reach with a watering can.

Life hack: Want to make perfect, crystal-clear ice cubes? The secret is to start with distilled water, and then boil it!

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Remove dents in carpeting

If you’ve recently rearranged the furniture in your living room, you know that heavy pieces can leave ugly indents in your carpet. Use ice cubes to remove them. Put an ice cube, for example, on the spot where the chair leg stood. Let it melt, then brush up the dent. Rub rehab completed.

Help iron out wrinkles

So your ready-to-wear shirt is full of wrinkles and there’s no time to wash it again. Turn on the iron and wrap an ice cube in a soft cloth. Rub over the wrinkle just before you iron and the shirt will smooth out.

Stop sauces from curdling

Imagine this: Your snooty neighbours are over for a Sunday brunch featuring eggs Benedict. But when you mixed butter and egg yolks to make hollandaise sauce for the dish, it curdled. What do you do? Place an ice cube in the saucepan and watch the sauce turn back into a silky masterpiece.

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Remove gum from clothing

You’re just about to walk out the door when Junior points to the gum stuck on his pants. Keep your cool and grab an ice cube. Rub the ice on the gum to harden it, then scrape it off with a spoon.

Smooth caulk seams

You’re caulking around the bathtub, but the sticky caulk compound keeps adhering to your finger as you try to smooth it. If you don’t do something about it, the finished job will look pretty awful. Solve the problem by running an ice cube along the caulk line. This forms the caulk into a nice even bead and the caulk will never stick to the ice cube.

Mask the taste of medicine

No matter what flavour your local pharmacist offers in children’s medicine, kids can still turn up their noses at the taste. Have them suck on an ice cube before taking the medicine. This numbs the taste buds and allows the medicine to go down, without the spoonful of sugar.

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Pluck a splinter

Parental challenge #573: removing a splinter from the hand of a screaming, squirming toddler. Before you start jabbing with that needle, grab an ice cube and numb the area. This should make splinter removal more painless and quicker.

Prevent a blister from a burn

Cool water for your pets

Imagine what it’s like to wear a fur coat in the middle of summer. Your rabbits, hamsters and gerbils will love your thoughtfulness if you place a few cubes in their water dish to cool down. This is also a good tip for your cat, who’s spent the hot morning lounging on your bed, or your dog, who’s just had a long romp in the park.

Unstick a sluggish disposal

If your garbage disposal is not working at its optimum because of grease buildup (not something stuck inside), ice cubes may help. Throw some down the disposal and grind them up. The grease will cling to the ice, making the disposal residue-free.

Make creamy salad dressing

Do you want to make your homemade salad dressing as smooth and even as the bottled variety? Try this: Put all the dressing ingredients in a jar with a lid, then add a single ice cube. Close the lid and shake vigorously. Spoon out the ice cube and serve. Your guests will be impressed by how creamy your salad dressing is.

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De-fat soup and stews

Want to get as much fat as possible out of your homemade soup or stew as quickly as possible? Fill a metal ladle with ice cubes and skim the bottom of the ladle over the top of the liquid in the soup pot. Fat will collect on the ladle.

Reheat rice

Does your leftover rice dry out when you reheat it in the microwave? Try this: Put an ice cube on top of the rice when you put it in the microwave. The ice cube will melt as the rice reheats, giving the rice much-needed moisture.